"I can easily believe it, Mr. Boswick, and I"ll have your hands free in a jiffy, and then you can climb the ladder to the deck, and we will go ash.o.r.e in the boat. The two British guards are insensible, and locked in a stateroom."
"You are a wonder, Dare!" said Boswick, admiration in his tone. "Well, cut our bonds quickly and we"ll try to get out of here."
This was speedily done, and a few minutes later the entire party was on the deck. To climb down into the boat was a simple matter, but it had only just been accomplished when there came the noise of oars in rowlocks, from the other side of the hulk, followed by the sound of voices.
"Some redcoats have come off to the ship, from the sh.o.r.e!" whispered d.i.c.k, to Boswick. "We must get away from here in a hurry, for your escape will be discovered very quickly!"
Chapter XIII
General Washington is Pleased
"We had better get to the sh.o.r.e at once," was the reply. "This boat is so heavily loaded that it would be dangerous to try to go to New York in it."
"Yes, and it is old and leaky, anyway. We"ll go ash.o.r.e and then head for Brooklyn Heights."
d.i.c.k turned the oars and rowed cautiously toward the island. The boat moved very slowly, for it was deep in the water, and rapid progress was impossible.
The sh.o.r.e was reached presently, however, and at the same instant there came out of the darkness excited yells from the direction of the prison-ship.
"They"ve discovered your escape," said d.i.c.k. "Get ash.o.r.e, men, as quickly as possible."
The rescued patriots leaped ash.o.r.e as fast as they could, and then with d.i.c.k in the lead, they set out northward.
"By keeping over pretty close to the water, I think we shall be able to keep clear of the redcoats," said d.i.c.k.
"Likely," agreed Tom. "We mustn"t let them capture us now."
"I"ll never go back to that terrible prison-pen alive!" declared Boswick. "I would much rather die fighting."
"We"ll get to the Heights and then over to New York in safety,"
a.s.sured d.i.c.k.
The excited voices of the British who had discovered the escape of the prisoners could be heard for some time, but gradually grew fainter, until at last no sound could be heard. The little party kept steadily onward, and managed to get past the left end of the British army and an hour or so later arrived at the patriot encampment on Brooklyn Heights.
They paused there only long enough to rest a bit and apprise the officer in command of their escape from the prison-ship, then they went down to the sh.o.r.e and were taken across to the New York side in boats.
They went direct to patriot headquarters, and were quickly ushered into the presence of the commander-in-chief. When he saw d.i.c.k and Tom, and also Boswick and the other spies and the patriot soldiers that had been prisoners, his face lighted up with pleasure.
"You surely have succeeded well, Dare!" he exclaimed. "You have rescued the patriot prisoners from the British prison-ship, and I hope you have as well secured some important information."
"I have secured some information, your excellency," replied d.i.c.k. "And I am pleased because I was able to free the patriots from the prison-ship."
"You have done well, d.i.c.k-wonderfully well. I congratulate you, my boy." Then he shook hands with Boswick and the other spies and the soldiers and asked them about their experience in the prison-ship.
According to their words, the prison-ship was a terrible place, the bottom of the hold being water-soaked and slimy, and infested by myriads of insects and worms, which crawled over the prisoners"
bodies, stinging and biting them and almost driving them wild. There were large and vicious rats also. The prisoners were thin and gaunt, and it was evident that they had suffered indeed.
"You have had a very unpleasant experience, men," said the commander-in-chief; "but now you are free and will soon be your old selves again. Go to your quarters, get some food and then rest up and regain your lost strength."
The soldiers obeyed, all going save d.i.c.k, who remained at the command of General Washington. When the others had gone, he turned inquiringly at d.i.c.k.
"What did you learn, my boy?" he queried. "Have you secured any information of value?"
"I haven"t secured a great deal of information, your excellency," was the reply. "I learned the numerical strength of the British army, for one thing."
"That is important. What is the number?"
"Twenty-five thousand."
A sober, thoughtful look settled over the face of the commander-in-chief.
"That is about five thousand more than I figured on," he murmured.
"Well, I am glad to have knowledge of their strength, even though it is greater than I had expected it to be."
"I learned also, that an attack on Brooklyn Heights, while a probability at some future time, is not contemplated at an early date."
"That is important also, d.i.c.k. Well, did you learn anything else?"
"Nothing else, sir. But, if you desire it, I will go back over onto Long Island and will keep watch on the British and do my best to learn of any intended move early enough to get the news to you, so that you will have time to make a move that will check the enemy."
"We will wait a few days, d.i.c.k, and then I may send you again. I congratulate you on the success of your first attempt at spying. You did well, d.i.c.k, exceedingly well, and I shall doubtless make use of you frequently in the future, if you care to undertake the work."
"I shall be glad to do so, your excellency. My only wish is to do all in my power to aid the people of America to secure their independence, and if I can be of value by doing spy-work, then I shall take pleasure in doing it."
"That is the right spirit, my boy, and I shall call upon you whenever I have work that I think you can do better than an older man could do it."
Then he dismissed d.i.c.k, who saluted and withdrew, going to his quarters.
He found Tom there, engaged in telling the story of his and d.i.c.k"s adventures over on Long Island, and Ben and the other soldiers were listening eagerly, their eyes shining. They greeted d.i.c.k joyously.
"Say, I wish I had been with you two fellows, old man," said Ben Foster. "You have got the bulge on the rest of us, and that isn"t fair. You have already encountered the redcoats and had adventures with them, while the rest of us have had to stay cooped up here in the city." Ben pretended to be vexed with d.i.c.k and Tom, but it was only pretense.
"You boys will get all the adventure you want, one of these days, I think," smiled d.i.c.k. "There is going to be a battle over on Long Island sooner or later, and then you will get all the fighting you want."
"Hurroo!" cried Tim Murphy, "shure an" thot is phwat we are afther wantin", Oi dunno. It"s all av us wull foight to the last gasp, sure an" we wull."
"Yah, ve vill fighd lige eferyting," declared Fritz Schmockenburg. "Ve are nod avraid uf der retgoads, und dot is so."
"How soon will the battle take place, d.i.c.k?" queried Ben Foster.
d.i.c.k shook his head.
"As to that I cannot say, Ben," he replied. "But it will come soon enough, without doubt, for the British have twenty-five thousand soldiers, while we have not more than eighteen thousand."
"That is pretty big odds," said Ben, with a shake of the head.